Pompeo says US embassy attack in Iraq orchestrated by "terrorists"
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United States President Donald Trump has toughened his rhetoric toward Iran on Tuesday, saying the country would “be held fully responsible” for the attack by Iraqi demonstrators on the United States Embassy compound in Baghdad, an assault that Mr. Trump said was directed by Tehran.
“This is not a Warning, it is a Threat. Happy New Year!” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter on Tuesday evening, in some of his most bellicose language of the year toward Iran.
The Pentagon confirmed that Trump has authorised sending 750 troops to Mideast after embassy attack in Iraqi capital Baghdad on Tuesday.
READ: Amidst Criticisms, Pompeo Discusses US Attacks On Iranian-Militias With World Leaders
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in a statement that around 750 troops from a rapid response unit of the 82nd Airborne Division are prepared to deploy over the next several days to the region.
"This deployment is an appropriate and precautionary action taken in response to increased threat levels against US personnel and facilities, such as we witnessed in Baghdad today," he said.
The US had already flown a rapid response team of Marines into Baghdad to reinforce its embassy after the attack Tuesday, which left smoke and flames rising from the embassy entrance and further heightened tension between Tehran and Washington.
Esper's announcement is the latest move by Washington to step up its defenses in the region since US President Donald Trump in May 2018 pulled out of a multinational nuclear deal with Iran and re-imposed crippling economic sanctions.
READ: Amidst Criticisms, Pompeo Discusses US Attacks On Iranian-Militias With World Leaders
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in a statement that around 750 troops from a rapid response unit of the 82nd Airborne Division are prepared to deploy over the next several days to the region.
"This deployment is an appropriate and precautionary action taken in response to increased threat levels against US personnel and facilities, such as we witnessed in Baghdad today," he said.
The US had already flown a rapid response team of Marines into Baghdad to reinforce its embassy after the attack Tuesday, which left smoke and flames rising from the embassy entrance and further heightened tension between Tehran and Washington.
Esper's announcement is the latest move by Washington to step up its defenses in the region since US President Donald Trump in May 2018 pulled out of a multinational nuclear deal with Iran and re-imposed crippling economic sanctions.
"At least 500 members of the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division have left Fort Bragg in the US, and up to 4,000 may ultimately be deployed," the official said.
President Trump blamed Iran for the embassy attack and warned that it would face punishment if Americans are killed. "Iran will be held fully responsible for lives lost, or damage incurred, at any of our facilities," Trump said on Twitter.
READ: Trump Authorized Immediate Deployment Of An Infantry Battalion To The Middle East Following Attacks On U.S Embassy In Baghdad
Pompeo said that the attack on the US embassy in Iraq was organized by terrorists, and he named those he said were behind it.
“The attack today was orchestrated by terrorists – Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Qays al-Khazali – and abetted by Iranian proxies – Hadi al-Amari and Faleh al-Fayyadh,” Pompeo said in a tweet.
The tweet included photos that Pompeo said showed all four men outside the US embassy, which was stormed Tuesday by pro-Iranian protesters enraged by US airstrikes against an Iranian backed militant group on Sunday.
READ:
“Death To America“: Several Thousand Iraqis Protest Outside US Embassy Over Strikes
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